Major retail redevelopment planned for Ann Arbor's Washtenaw Avenue

A Bloomfield Hills-based real estate company has plans to redevelop four buildings on a 5.5-acre site on Washtenaw Avenue into a connected retail shopping center.

A.F. Jonna Development submitted plans to the city of Ann Arbor this week to connect the retail buildings at 3510-3590 Washtenaw Avenue, located between Pittsfield Boulevard and Yost Boulevard, which would create six attached buildings.

The property is home to eight existing businesses, including Dollar Tree, Casual Male XL, Naked Furniture, Pure Sleep, Frame Factory, Ann Arbor Thrift Shop, Life Uniform and Fast Signs. The buildings are set back from Washtenaw Avenue with parking located in the front.

The proposed redevelopment would connect four existing buildings on the site, creating six separate spaces for businesses.Bowers + Associates

Naked Furniture is having a bankruptcy sale and plans to close by the end of the summer.

Five tax parcels would be combined into a single tax parcel. Together, the four buildings on the property have an assessed value of $2,886,800.

A.F. Jonna is under contract to purchase the property from Renken Company, which planned a similar redevelopment in 2010. Duane Renken’s $3 million redevelopment plan called to join the gaps between the buildings on the center, construct a 9,500-square-foot addition next to Dollar Tree and redo the exterior of the Dollar Tree.

The property is located on the south side of Washtenaw Avenue across from Arborland Center and about 1/4-mile from the U.S. 23 intersection.

A.F. Jonna’s new plans call to infill the space between the four existing buildings, and divide the space so there are six attached buildings. The total building area would increase from 55,285 square feet to 74,159 square feet.

The six new buildings would range in size from 7,482 square feet to 17,239 square feet. It’s unclear what the development means for the site’s existing tenants.

The Washtenaw Avenue corridor has become a prime retail destination, with major shopping centers such as Arborland Center and the Huron Village at the corner of Huron Parkway.

Meanwhile, the 18-tenant, 90,000-square-foot Arbor Hills shopping center opened in August 2013 on Washtenaw Avenue between Platt Road and Huron Parkway.

A.F. Jonna controls retail centers across Oakland and Wayne counties. The company owns the two-story retail building on the southwest corner of South University and South Forest in Ann Arbor.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at 734-255-2638, email her lizzyalfs@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter.